The self as "spirit" (Geist) in the anthropology of Edith Stein and Karl Rahner

Edith Stein and Karl Rahner were two decisive figures of the XX century catholic thinking. With different backgrounds and motivations, yet bearing substantial points in common, both stood out for their efforts to deal with the main categories of modern thought. In this context, "spirit" (Geist) is a particularly interesting notion, for both authors display through it fundamental convictions of an anthropology in tune with modernity, which at the same time claims, free of contradiction, the sense of transcendence, expressed through the concept "openness" (Offenheit). Starting from a previous study on the matter, in Horer des Wortes (Hearers of the Word, 1941/1963) by K. Rahner, the following paper aims to provide a comparative vision between the aforementioned work with Edith Stein's Der Aufbau der menschlichen Person (Structure of the human person, 1932).